Shōjo Manga: The World of Japanese Girls'Comics is the UK’s first major exhibition tour of the genre, from its golden era to the present day.

Japan's shōjo manga culture dates back to post-WWII years, but it was the innovative work of a small group of artists in the 1970s that turned it into the broad-ranging and hugely popular art form enjoyed today.

This exhibition, in association with the Kyoto International Manga Museum and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, presents the work of three key creators: pioneering 1970s artists Akiko Hatsu and Keiko Takemiya, and contemporary artist Yukiko Kai.

The 1970s are celebrated as a turning point in the history of shōjo manga, when artists such as Hatsu and Takemiya transformed what had previously been seen as a 'lowbrow' form of manga into a cultural genre to rival literature, encompassing themes as diverse as romance, science fiction, and Japanese Noh theatre.

The exhibition explores the world of Japanese shōjo (girls’) manga through elaborate Genga'(Dash) prints of original artworks, that have been faithfully reproduced aiming to conserve original manga artwork.